Chapter Eleven: The Frost Priest King

In truth, teaming up with Monk Dingyuan had always been part of Ye Chen’s plan. He had just refused the invitations from other players because he noticed many of them eyeing him in a peculiar way—some curious, others greedy. They likely assumed he possessed some godly equipment, and might even kill him for it. Such things weren’t rare; murder for treasure was perfectly normal in the game.

Dingyuan Monk’s gaze, however, was always clear, and the nearby players seemed to respect this bald giant, which made Ye Chen choose to team up with him. This way, he could avoid the covetous looks of others and have a tank to absorb damage. Though the experience was a bit less, safety was assured, and efficiency might even improve.

As expected, Dingyuan Monk, the ascetic, truly lived up to his reputation as the premier tank. He was a real glutton for punishment—with an astonishing 2,500 health points and nearly 400 defense, few monsters could do him harm. He could even solo most bosses, assuming he could kill them, of course.

In contrast to his immense health and defense, Dingyuan Monk’s attack was pitiful—only 135 points. If he tried to fight a boss of his level, the damage he dealt would barely keep up with the boss’s regeneration. Even against these fragile Frost Priests, it took him several minutes to kill one. Ascetic, indeed—the most frustrating class.

With Dingyuan Monk as his super tank, Ye Chen no longer feared being instantly killed by the Frost Priests. All he had to do was stay behind Dingyuan, let him charge ahead and gather the monsters, then cast Black Fireballs one by one with ease.

After teaming up, his experience dropped from over 15,000 to over 12,000, but efficiency nearly doubled, so his leveling speed increased. Dingyuan Monk was grinning ear to ear—poor bald ascetic had never enjoyed gaining experience so much.

In less than twenty minutes, Ye Chen had leapt from level 15 to halfway through level 16. It was already foreseeable that by the time the aura wore off, he would reach at least level 17—maybe even 18.

Just as the two were gleefully farming monsters, the players ahead suddenly became restless. Several abruptly abandoned monsters they were about to kill and turned to flee.

“What’s going on up there? Why are they running?” Ye Chen watched the players, faces dirt-stained and hurried, rushing past him. He scratched his head in confusion. “What’s happening?”

Dingyuan Monk knocked out a wounded monster with his staff and looked ahead. At that moment, he cried out in alarm, “Damn, the Priest King is wandering over here! Let’s get out of here!” He grabbed Ye Chen and began retreating with the crowd.

“The Priest King?” Ye Chen was stunned. He followed Dingyuan’s gaze and saw a towering figure slowly approaching on the open plateau. The same ice-crystal robes, the same bull horns and bovine face, but it was ten times bigger than an ordinary Frost Priest. The cold aura swirling around it had already coated the ground in a thin layer of frost…

[Frost Priest King] (Silver-tier Boss)
Level: 30
Health: 50,000
Skills: Ice Arrow, Frost Aura, Absolute Freeze

A silver-tier boss! Ye Chen’s heart thumped—this beast could drop silver equipment. Bronze gear was already powerful; silver would be even more extraordinary.

Most importantly, this boss only had 50,000 health. Ye Chen was tempted, standing his ground and asking the bald monk, “Why is everyone running? This is a silver boss, and its health is so low. Why not fight it? I saw several teams with all classes present.”

“Low health, sure, but its attack is monstrous. Ordinary tanks just can’t withstand it,” Dingyuan Monk replied helplessly.

“What about you? Can you tank it?” Ye Chen glanced at him. Dingyuan Monk was arguably the top tank of Lieshan City. If even he couldn’t handle it, Ye Chen would have to give up.

Dingyuan Monk smiled proudly. “Me? As long as there’s a priest, I can tank it.” He paused, suddenly staring wide-eyed at Ye Chen. “Wait, you’re not thinking of challenging it, are you?”

Ye Chen grinned. “Exactly. Silver boss—this is a treasure. You’ve seen my attack power; I can hit it for at least a thousand damage at a time. If you can hold out, we’ll take it down in ten minutes!”

“No, no, you don’t understand…” Dingyuan Monk shook his bald head like a rattle-drum. “If it were that easy, someone would have killed this boss already. The key is its skill—Absolute Freeze. It’s a massive area attack, capable of instantly killing all nearby magic classes. Without healers and damage dealers, even the toughest tank just has to wait for death.”

“Aren’t ascetics able to use Shout of Silence? That skill can seal enemy abilities, right?” Ye Chen asked in confusion.

Dingyuan Monk smiled bitterly. “Shout of Silence can indeed prevent enemies from casting spells for a short time, but it requires a casting period. The Priest King’s skill is almost instant—unless you know exactly when it will use its big move and seal it in advance, there’s no time.”

Ye Chen’s heart stirred. “What if I know when the Priest King will use its big move? Would you have confidence in defeating this boss then?”

Dingyuan Monk’s eyes gleamed, his gaze burning as he nodded. “Absolutely! Wait, could it be…”

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes with a smile. Silently, he began communicating with the system god, and soon received the answer he wanted.

[Frost Priest King] (ID 0001), Level: 30, Health: 50,000, Attack: 500, Defense: 150, Attack Mode: Magic (uses Ice Arrow throughout, automatically casts Frost Aura), Special Skill: Absolute Freeze, Special Skill Trigger Condition: Automatically activates when health drops below 9,600.

Ye Chen was elated as he read the system’s information on the Frost Priest King. The system god’s monster data was invaluable. Now that he knew exactly when Absolute Freeze would be triggered, he could have the monk seal it in advance. The Priest King’s ID was 0001—meaning it had never been defeated. The first kill would guarantee an incredible loot rate.